LISTEN NOW: The Hiders – “Totem”

After a decade playing together, The Hiders have long figured out their strengths: splendid harmonies; slow-building, worth-the-wait songs; and, most of all, tight musicianship with perfectly chosen parts played for each moment.

In addition to these strengths, Totem, the band’s fifth album, showcases well-crafted lyrics, particularly on the clever “Jesus Was a Cowboy,” which brings unique takes to potentially well-worn clichés and delivers lines like “If God was a bullet/And I was a gun/He’d point me at Calvary/And shoot His own Son.”

With Totem, come for the music, stay for the words, and enjoy The Hiders at their best.